Partners
by lampshaded
Summary: Entirely AU. 1x2, implied 3x4, 6x5. Past 1xR. As a preventer, Heero is given a new partner. The catch? He has to raise him first. Incomplete.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I'm poor and unemployed; I own no bish TT

Warning type stuff: 1x2, past Rx1, some 3x4 and 6x5. Shounen-ai, fluff, PWP-ish (for now), cute nekos (yes, that's a warning). Some angst and blood.

WIP, and I might change the title as well :/

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Flick. Flick. Flick. Flick. Flick. He watched the sandy-colored tail in front of him swat the air in deep concentration.

"Quatre" he intoned, earning a questioning glance over the shoulder from the blond standing in front of him. They locked eyes, and the tail immediately dropped to a less-restless position.

"Sorry, Trowa; I was thinking." The blond's feline ears and mouth twitched sheepishly before he turned back to the file on the desk in front of him.

Although the Preventers' Headquarters was buzzing with life, their small and sunny office was quiet as they skimmed reports and filed them away.

"Did you hear they're giving Sanderson, Merquise, Jones, Caldwell, and Yuy partners?" he asked over his shoulder. The tall brunette stood and stretched.

"Yuy?" he asked, coming around to see what Quatre was looking at.

"Yeah," he replied to the human with a twitch of his tail. "Do you think he'll be able to handle the partner bonding—I mean, he isn't the most social…or the friendliest…" Quatre cringed.

"I can's speak for kaloctis, but I know young myniokas aren't the most patient or reserved," the tall human stated, taking a file from his partner and placing it on a pile behind him. Quatre grinned playfully in agreement.

"I wasn't so bad, was I, partner?" he asked grinningly while opening another file. He received only a grunt as Trowa took a new file to his desk.

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"It's not that bad, Yuy," an amused voice said, breaking through his rational thinking. "You can stop glaring at the paper; it's not likely to combust."

Heero flicked his glare to the speaker's dually amused face.

"You're not even getting a mynioka, Merquise," he said with a grating edge to his voice. "You're getting a kalocti as a partner, not a cat." Heero pursed his lips and glared at the announcement again.

"Well, you'd better stop scowling at everything you see." Zechs turned away to staple a report. "Your partner will be afraid of you, and that's the last thing you want to impress into its first memory."

"I thought the scientis—caretakers awoke them at the lab?" Heero asked, turning his glare to a nearby potted plant and half-expecting it to wither.

"They do. But honestly, Heero, how would you take it if your new caretaker and partner glared holes through you when you were less than a day old?" he asked with a smirk. Heero only grunted in reply.

How _was_ he supposed to care for a baby mynioka, or a baby anything, for that matter? He knew nothing about children or how to handle them. If someone didn't act professionally, in his view, then he didn't need to be around them…but that wouldn't apply to a child.

"How long will they remain…young?" he asked after a moment of thought.

Zechs didn't look up from his paperwork.

"Their body will match your age and grow—you've already heard this in the training, why are you asking?" he asked with a slight edge of annoyance. Yuy was never one to need to hear instructions twice.

"Yes, but how long will it take the thing to grow up, to be my age?" the dark-haired Preventer asked, earning a glance from Zechs.

"Oh, I don't know… A week or two, depending on its personality," he said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Or how much time you spend with it," he added snidely.

"I will spend the required amount of time with it," Heero shot back coolly. "We all have to take off work in order to 'bond' until our partners are roughly our ages and can be admitted into the field; a few weeks... I don't see why they can't hire more Preventers," he crossly remarked.

"They don't have to pay or train these kind of partners, they learn on their own and give their partners raises to take care of them." Zechs replied, earning another glare from Heero.

"They're 'the perfect partner,'" the blond man continued, unscathed. "They learn to walk, talk, and read within a week; they'll even understand you the first time you say something. It's amazing, really—they won't know anyone but you until they are an adult, forming flawless trust—"

"You sound like the training manual," Heero growled.

"You should be the one to talk," Zechs shot back from his desk. "Anyway, isn't it time for you to pick up your partner?" he asked smilingly, earning another growl from the dark-headed Preventer, who then restacked his paperwork and left.

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Heero stared at the dark-gray animal carrier, hefting his bag higher on his shoulder and shifting to his other foot. Two old men in ugly jumpsuit-type clothes had been passing out the small myniokas to their new partners for the last ten minutes, and now he was the only one left standing. One of the men peered at him through thick, green goggle-like glasses, then bent down to the last animal carrier that appeared to be empty.

The residents of the other carriers had all been eager to get out and meet their new owners, batting their tiny paw-like hands through the wires of the carrier doors and mewling their first sounds in hopes of gaining attention, but this carrier appeared to be empty.

While the caretaker with the green glasses unlocked the carrier, the other one spoke to Heero.

"I'm afraid this one had a bit of a scare while being loaded into the van," he explained in a nasally voice that seemed to come directly out of his long nose instead of his mouth. "This old fool here," he indicated the other caretaker, "nearly forgot him on the sidewalk and tried to drive away until another vehicle behind him laid on the horn and stopped him."

"You were in that van, too, you old bat. It's not like you weren't helping load—,"

he snapped, and promptly drew back his hand as the shadows in the carrier emitted a warning hiss.

"Ah, yes, best taking this one home before you let him out." The green-glasses shut the carrier door quickly. "Needs some time to calm down."

"Is it male or female?" Heero asked, hoping to get a name for the creature.

"We don't know, we just feed and clean up after the things. Don't worry; it'll most likely name itself after something it hears you say. And about the carrier, you can keep it. It belongs to the Preventers, anyway," the long-nosed caretaker remarked quickly, handing him the now-silent carrier.

The two old men promptly gathered the remaining carriers and pushed their way out the side door, still bickering at each other. Heero shook his head and headed for the backdoor to clock out. "What an odd duo they make," he murmured, pulling his coat tighter against the chill he knew would come.

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The car ride home was a quiet one. Afterwards, Heero hefted his bag and the carrier up the stairs into his lofty home with ease. Being a Preventer had more than one perk.

It was built on the side of the mountain, overlooking the lower half of the city. His walls were all white, the floor wooden with thick rugs, and most of the furniture black. The house's ceiling was high, with large windows on one side only, looking out into the city, while the back wall curved with the mountain rock. The main room made up most of the house, as the kitchen was part of the left wall, and his 'bedroom' was a bed and table to the right, separated from the rest with decorative rice-paper screens. The only other actual room in the house was the bathroom.

He glared at the offending mynioka supplies that had arrived by delivery the day before and now cluttered up his front entryway.

After dumping his bag of paperwork onto one of the coat hooks by the door he flicked on the main room lighting switch and climbed down the front stairs to set the carrier beside him on the couch.

The scientist-caretaker, whoever he was, had been nervous to grab ahold of the angry mynioka…how was _he_ supposed to get the thing out if its creators hadn't even wanted to? The things were supposed to instinctively need their owners and want their attention; what was the matter with this one? Was it defective or damaged; or was it still agitated just because it had been honked at by the labs?

A movement from the inside of the carrier caught his attention. Heero bent so he could see inside the darkness of the carrier and spotted a darker lump near the back. There seemed to be small, dark scratches along the bottom of the carrier…how strange.

He slowly unfastened the carrier door then looked in again. Twin shining orbs peered out at him from the shadowed recess.

"Don't you want to come out?" he asked the small form, slightly irritated but curious, unsure if it, in fact, _was_ angry. Its only response was a small whimper followed by a sniff.

"Come out of there," Heero ordered, hoping that a command would get a better response; he was, after all, his partner. The small shadow whimpered again, curling into a smaller lump. Heero sighed. This wasn't very easy. Maybe he should start over and just try to be rational.

"I'm sorry; I don't know how to act in situations like this," he said softly, more to himself than the little creature, who let out another whimper. He peered back into the dark carrier. "Come out, there's really nothing to be afraid of."

He sighed. "I'm your partner; I'm supposed to take care of you."

The small shadow in the carrier sniffled again before it slowly crept to the front and into the light. The first feature Heero saw of the animal was its wavy hair that dragged along the bottom of the carrier as it crawled. The hair was the color of chestnuts with dashes of cinnamon; two fragile ears poked through the thick strands on its crown. It was dressed in a rumpled hospital-like white gown with darker smudges of something else. Heero realized with concern that its tiny paw-like hands had dried blood on them and were reddened around the fingertips. If it stood, it would be tall enough to be nose-to-knee with him, but looked like a five year old child despite its height.

As it sat in front of him, he noticed the little creature's cinnamon-colored tail was firmly planted between his knees while tremors ran through its small body. Its ears were snugly pressed against its head, and it was fisting its gown only to whimper in pain.

"Stop that," he said quietly, eyeing the darkened blood smears on his gown. "Here, let me see your hand."

The mynioka hesitated, then held out one of its abused paws for inspection. One of the nails was caught by the crusted blood in its extended position, but the rest looked exactly as a human child's would if they had sharp fingernails. Heero released the hand and reached under the creature's chin to gently pull its face up, into the light.

The small heart-shaped face held a troubled expression as it bit its lower lip with tiny, sharp teeth. Large, violet eyes blinked up at him, ready to spill their watery contents onto already tearstained cheeks.

The small creature stared at him for a moment before tugging the hand out from under his chin and pressing the palm to his cheek. Heero watched as the mynioka held onto his thumb and palm while it rubbed its soft cheek against his skin. He could easily wrap his hand entirely around its small head.

Curling his fingers slightly, he softly rubbed the small creature's face and ran his fingers through its hair. Its eyes closed briefly before it released Heero's hand and climbed into his lap, fisting his shirt and burying its face in it with a small whimper.

Heero sighed, pulling the small form into his arms and running his hand over the back of its head. This might be a long night.

"Let's get you cleaned up," he said quietly, standing.

He gathered the soaps for the mynioka, along with a towel, and ran some warm water in his kitchen sink. The small form lay still, curled in his arm with its head butted against his chest.

"Don't fall asleep," Heero told the creature and was awarded with a blinking amethyst eye. "You're going to have to sit up on your own," he said, pulling the mynioka away from him and setting it on the counter.

Heero pulled the dirty gown off the little creature and heaved a sigh of relief when he discovered it was male. He really didn't know how to deal with grown females, let alone adolescent ones. At least having a growing male would be semi-familiar for him.

The boy crawled to the edge of the sink and looked at the churning water dubiously before crawling back to explore the soft towel. When Heero picked him up and went to put him in the water, the young thing yelped a high-pitched meow and held onto his hands, unwilling to let go.

After a few more tries and a few more frightened squeaks, Heero cradled the shaken creature in an arm and poured some soap into the water with the other. Bubbles immediately formed, and although he didn't relinquish his clawed hold on Heero's shirt, the small boy leaned forward with curiosity. His interest, as well as ears, was piqued forward as he reached out to claw at an offending bubble as it passed upwards.

Carefully taking ahold of the squirming boy, he lowered him slowly into the bubbling water. He whimpered when his small hands met the soap and pulled them up for a few soothing licks. Heero took his small paws, and with the soft washcloth, he carefully cleaned off the dried mess.

"You shouldn't have been trying to claw your way out, you know. Those carriers are nearly indestructible." Heero softly chided, locating a plastic cup. The young mynioka ducked his head; whether from shame or fear, Heero couldn't tell.

"You've got to keep your chin up if you don't want water in your eyes," he said, dipping the cup into the suds. "Close your eyes, too; you don't want soap to get in them either."

After watching the boy stick his tiny nose in the air and tightly close his eyes, Heero poured the warm water onto his long hair. When he began to gently work in the shampoo, he could swear the young thing started purring.

"Do you have a name?" Heero asked suddenly while washing the boy's back. The young mynioka turned his face up to him.

"Du. o," he said, swinging his wet tail back and forth happily.

"Duo?" Heero questioned, working the cloth over his shoulders. The small creature nodded with glee before turning back around to avoid getting soap on his face.

"Du-oo 'a-ve…mame?" Duo asked a moment later, his pink tongue darting out to lick at his uncooperative lips irritably. A small smile found its way onto Heero's face.

"Heero," he responded while washing at his ears, earning a titter from the boy.

"'Ro," he giggled, swinging his tail back and forth amiably again.

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After he'd finished washing and drying Duo, he sat him on the towel with his specially-made 'Preventers Growing Mynioka Drink' while he went and pulled the packages that currently cluttered his front entryway into the bedroom. Heero pulled out a stretchy, white set of shirt and shorts and went to go dress the boy.

When Heero arrived, the bottle of drink was lying on the floor, and Duo sat glaring on the counter with his ears pulled back and a big wet splotch on his face. Heero couldn't help but smile.

"Didn't like your 'specially-processed protein…juice, Duo?" he asked, amused, as he picked up the drink.

"Blick," Duo replied, crossing his arms over his little chest and wrinkling his nose at the offending bottle. Heero only smiled and returned it to its proper place in the fridge, grabbing the carton of milk instead.

"You're going to have to get used to it until you're grown, but tonight I'll let you drink some milk," he said to the curious boy. "The protein drink is what will make you grow, but I can't imagine it would taste very well," he commented.

After pouring some milk into an empty water bottle, he helped the mynioka drink its contents. Duo's eyes started to droop as soon as he finished, and Heero hurried him through getting dressed and a quick lesson on how to use his miniature toilet before putting him to bed on the couch.

The boy was small enough to fit on the pillow Heero had given him, and he curled into a ball with his tail covering his nose, asleep, before he could even pull the blanket up. With a final, small smile, Heero retired for a quick shower and then bed.

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Heero awoke to a cry not long after he fell asleep. Sitting up, he gathered his wits for a second before he heard it again, a loud, high-pitched mewl of distress.

He shot out of his bed and went to the main room, where the cries were indubitably coming from. Stopping when he was behind the couch, he started searching for the young mynioka immediately.

"Duo?" he called, worriedly pulling up the empty blanket.

"'Ro?" The little head poked up from under the pillow and crawled to the safety of his owner's arms.

"What happened?" Heero asked, cradling the boy.

"'Ro," the little mynioka replied, choked with relief. He climbed up his owner's shirt and wrapped his arms around the warm neck at the top, pressing his face into it.

Heero held him for a few minutes, running his fingers through the soft hair and rubbing his back until he seemed to fall back to sleep. That was, until he tried to put him down.

"'Ro!" the boy cried loudly, holding onto Heero's sleeves as soon as his back touched the pillow. Sighing, Heero pulled the frightened boy back up and held him for another few minutes.

"You don't want to be left alone, do you?" he asked him as the tiny hands fisted his shirt again.

"'Ro," Duo murmured in agreement, his sound muffled against the cotton of the nightshirt.

Heero sighed again and took his bundle into his bedroom. Once again he found Duo asleep by the time he touched the bed, and after listening to the boy's murmurs and snuffles for a few minutes, he drowsed off as well.

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When Heero opened his eyes in the morning, sunlight was filtering through the light curtains and onto his bed. The small bundle of warmth had taken up residence on his stomach, using a fistful of Heero's nightshirt as a pillow. The tip of his tail twitched as he slept; his ears looked alert even as he apparently dreamt.

The mynioka didn't look any bigger than it had the night before, which wasn't good; he needed to start drinking those protein drinks today—Heero had to start him on the growth program if he wanted Duo to grow and develop correctly.

Sighing, the human twisted a strand of the boy's soft hair around his finger. Two sleepy eyes blinked open and focused on his hand. Heero let his finger wander to the back of the mynioka's ear to scratch its base.

Duo's eyes slid shut, and a smile curved his mouth; a moment later he started to purr. It was barely audible, but Heero could feel the mynioka's whole body hum with it before it emitted a different small growl. Duo's eyes opened and he stopped purring; something wasn't right.

"Hungry?" Heero amusedly asked, sitting up. The boy licked his lower lip, thinking, before he nodded slowly.

After another lesson on proper potty procedure, Heero took the boy into the kitchen and gave him some protein drink. Duo's ears were immediately swept back as he glared at the offending bottle.

"Duo, you have to drink it," Heero said firmly, pressing the bottle into his small hands. Duo glared at the bottle for another moment before staring up at his human with a pleading look in his eyes.

"No milk," Heero said flatly. "I let you off last night, but now you have to drink it." The boy glared at the bottle defiantly.

"Nuh," he replied, pushing the bottle away. Heero placed his hands on the counter, leaning forward on them.

"Duo—"

"Nuh!"

"Drink it!"

"Nuh!"

"Stop it!"

"NUH!"

"DUO—"

"NUH!"

"You are not moving from that spot," Heero seethed, gritting his teeth, "until you've drunk every drop. I don't care how long it takes."

The boy looked up at him, his lower lip quivering as he tried to keep his glare. Heero looked so mad. Duo leaned to rub his head placatingly against the human's clenched fist, but Heero drew back and folded his arms across his chest.

"I'm not touching you. You don't deserve any reward for the way you've been acting," he said angrily, his frozen blue eyes glaring. "Drink."

With that comment he took the bottle and slammed it down in front of the mynioka, who feebly took ahold of it a moment later. Heero let out an irritated sigh and left to take care of his morning routine.

Duo blinked back tears and lowered his head, dejected, but obediently started to drink the horrible-tasting liquid.

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When Heero came back, the mynioka's head was hung with his hair covering his face, but the bottle in his hands was empty. Standing in front of the counter, Heero studied the boy.

Duo was silent with his head bowed, and although his ears and tail seemed to droop, his tiny hands hugged the bottle tightly.

Heero took the drink and made sure it was empty before putting it in the trash. He gazed at the boy again. Duo's hands were now fisted in his long shirt.

"Duo?" he asked, bending to see his face.

The mynioka's features were scrunched, with tears coursing down his pale cheeks as he bit his lip. Heero's own brow furrowed with guilt as he stood back up.

"Duo." He gathered the unresponsive boy in his arms and went to sit on the couch. A few moments of silence passed while he rocked the mynioka and rubbed his small back as he cried into Heero's shirt.

"I'm sorry, Duo, I didn't mean to yell," he said quietly, pulling the fussed hair away from the boy's face. "I was frustrated." The bundle in his lap just sniffed and clutched at his shirt. Heero sat for a few more minutes, gathering his thoughts.

"I don't know what to do, Duo," he whispered wistfully. The boy looked up at him; his tears had stopped, but his eyes were still red.

"When I was young, my father always yelled at me," he said absentmindedly while running a fingertip over one of the mynioka's tearstained cheeks. "After mom died, he hated me," Heero whispered, his eyes staring at the creature in his lap while memories played in his mind.

"He never let me have fun with friends; it distracted me from my studies." Duo shifted in his lap.

"If I did something wrong, he'd hit me… It was the easiest of life's rules for me to learn, I guess, a constant rule in my life. 'Be perfect, never mess up'..." Heero sighed, his eyes closed in memory.

"He's the reason I learned how to fight. He's why I joined the police…they promoted me to the Preventers because of my devotion to my work… He pushed me—made me everything I am, and I don't know anything else—"

"Nuh," Duo interrupted, pulling Heero out of his reverie.

"Nuh," he said again, stilling the human's hand and shaking his head. "'Ro not him. 'Ro yell, not hit. Good is 'Ro."

Heero's eyes focused on the smiling face in his lap. Duo's tail was rubbing a soothing pattern against his arm, and his face shone with glee as he got his partner's attention.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Heero silently stared at the boy. He could pronounce words much better than the day before; he was most likely getting smarter by the minute. Going over his mental schedule for Duo's growth, he recalled that they were to 'bond' for a few more days before he was to give Duo the mynioka books to study. During those days he was to leave the boy alone until he needed something. He grew and developed so fast—it made Heero feel guilty for not making him drink the growth protein he should have the night before.

"'Ro?" Duo asked, breaking through his thoughts again as he climbed up his shirt to settle his head against the human's shoulder, watching him. Heero's mouth quirked into a small smile.

"I've got an idea," he said with as much uncharacteristic enthusiasm as he could muster. Duo's eyes brightened with curiosity.

"I know that drink must not taste very good,"—the boy's nose wrinkled—"but I'll give you something that tastes really good if you drink it when I tell you to," Heero said, remembering some chocolates he'd gotten as a gift from his ex, Relena.

"Ya?" Duo's eyes sparkled up at him.

"Yeah," Heero affirmed, feeling his smile widen at the look on Duo's face as he giggled.

"'Kay." The mynioka snuggled into his shirt, content to listen to his partner's heartbeat. Heero's thoughts drifted from Duo, to Relena and how he'd felt about her as opposed to what he felt for the small mynioka. He'd been friends with Relena, then when she wanted more, he'd played her game…but her friendship was nothing like what he felt towards Duo. Heero felt a tug on his shirt and looked down to see that Duo had gone rigid, staring towards the window.

"What is it?" he asked, gently stroking the boy's hair.

"It move," Duo murmured, still staring at the fabric blinds.

"What moves?" Heero asked him, perplexed.

"Out." The boy pulled himself safely back to the human's chest, but his eyes never strayed from the brightness coming from the other side of the blinds as his partner walked to the window.

"We're too high up for anything to be out—" Heero pulled up the blind. "Oh." He blinked at the bright, white sky, noting the flurries that fell from it into the city below.

"It's snowing."

"'No-ing?" Duo asked, looking up at him. Heero shook his head.

"S-no-wing."

"So-ing." The boy grinned, leaning forward to press his small hands and nose against the glass.

"'s cold," he commented, rubbing at his nose and sitting back. Heero was about to respond when there was a knock at the door. Duo froze.

"Whas 'at?" he asked in a whisper.

"It's just someone at the door." While Duo clawed his way up onto his shoulder and around to hide in the back of his shirt, Heero went to the door and unlocked it. Someone tall with white-blond hair filled his viewing hole; there was only one person who would match that description. He opened the door.

"'Good morning, Z—" He blinked at his comrade's slightly singed, maroon coat, as a lump moved from his side to his shoulder underneath.

"'Morning, Heero. Don't mind him, he's just shy." Zechs smirked, stepping inside as his coat squawked indignantly.

"Is that…your—"

"Yes, this is Wufei, my kalocti." Zechs nudged at the lump sitting on his shoulder. "Where's your mynioka?" the blond man asked, looking around.

Heero sighed, tugging at his collar.

"Come out, Duo."

"Nuh."

"_Now, _Duo," Heero intoned.

The mynioka wiggled his way to the front of Heero's tucked shirt, earning an uncomfortable grimace from his partner, and stuck his head out of the collar. Heero cradled the boy with a sigh; there were plenty of puncture holes in his shirt by now, but he didn't want more.

"Huh." Zechs leaned forward slightly and blinked, studying the mynioka. "Isn't he still a little small? Wufei was that small when I first got him, but he grew last night."

Duo let out a whimper and scurried to hide in the vicinity of his partner's armpit, lying on the supporting forearm.

"I let him drink milk instead of the growing drink last night, hopefully he'll catch up. I didn't realize how fast he was supposed to grow." Heero sighed, laying his other hand on the sniffling, fabric-covered bundle.

"He's rather sensitive, isn't he?" Zechs asked, trying to fish Wufei out of his coat. "Yes, I suppose he is." Heero frowned, thinking over the last twenty-four hours.

"Huh," Zechs murmured, getting agitated at his kalocti.

"Wufei, if you do not come out of there this instant," he threatened menacingly, "I'm dumping this coat in Heero's washing machine, and you're getting the bath of your life."

The lump stopped moving for a moment, which was just long enough for Zechs to get ahold of his partner and pull him out by the tail.

"Injuddice!" the kalocti squealed, flailing around as he hung by his black scaled tail.

"Stop screaming like a child and behave like a man!" Zechs growled.

After a minute of struggling, Wufei crossed his arms and pouted, content on glaring darkly at the strange upside-down human in front of him with the weird bump in his shirt.

Heero stared at the display. Wufei was dressed in clothes similar to Duo's, but they were slightly singed in places. He looked like a small, oriental child, except for the fact that shiny, black scales started to form at his temples and continued down the back of his head and neck to most likely become his alligator-like black tail.

"Are you finished?" Zechs asked, irritated.

"Hum." Wufei moved his glare to the opened blind behind the weird man. Taking that as a valid answer, the blond sat his partner on his shoulder.

"Duo." Heero looked down, inside his collar. "Are you finished?"

The mynioka turned onto his side to look up at his partner. After a final sniff and eye rub, he climbed back up to poke his nose out of Heero's collar cautiously. His ears flicked forward at the sight of the new creature he'd caught the scent of minutes ago.

"I figured it might be good to let our partners get to know each other," Zechs said, ignoring Wufei's tight grip on his hair. Heero nodded.

"If we are grouped together again it would be mandatory for them to get along," he agreed. "How about we take them to Crystal Street Park? I think Duo's eager to explore the snow." He could feel the mynioka's soft tail excitedly swish over his stomach, tickling it.

"I think that would be fine," Zechs replied, watching Heero promptly extract his partner from his shirt and scratch at his middle. "What do you think, Wufei?"

"Hum."

Zechs sighed.

"I'll get Duo dressed for the weather and be back in a moment; make yourself at home," Heero mumbled, trying to calm the eagerly squirming boy in his arms. He sat Duo on the bed and fished out the smallest coat in the mynioka's clothing box. Duo's tail swished enthusiastically behind him as Heero pulled up his arms to put on a sweater. That was, until his head was trapped in the wool.

"Nya!" Duo flailed while Heero lightly tugged at the shirt. His head popped through the neck hole; one of his ears was crinkled backwards. Heero couldn't help but smile as the boy swiped at his fuzzed hair.

"Why don't I do something with your hair?" he asked, amused. Duo stared at him, horrified, and grasped his locks tight. Heero just chuckled. "No, I don't mean cutting it. Why don't I braid it for you? It would be out of your way and wouldn't get tangled either." After a moment of careful deliberation, Duo nodded.

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Ten minutes later saw the four leaving the house. As they walked, Duo chattered his nonsense amiably, pointing at this and that, entertaining the others. Every few minutes or so Wufei would suddenly interject the mynioka, and the two would gibber at each other until someone won.

When they got to the park, Heero tugged the fuzzy cap down farther onto Duo's head to keep his delicate ears warm before letting him roam towards a snowdrift. Wufei wasn't far behind. Luckily, they were both easy to watch, on account of their walking skills being somewhat inadequate for the current weather. Zechs and Heero uncovered a bench to chat and for further surveillance.

As soon as the two boys reached the snow drift, Wufei jumped, trying to bound to the top. Unfortunately, he merely sank into the small mountain. Duo balanced for a moment, then pounced into Wufei's snow-hole, presumably upon its maker. Only his swishing tail could be seen for a few minutes.

A bump tunneled its way toward the bench for a few feet, slightly melting the snow above it until Duo climbed out of the snow and pounced, crashing just behind the creator of the tunnel.

"Saa!"

Zechs was on his feet immediately, thrusting his gloved hand into the lump of snow and pulling Wufei out by the back of his coat. A tendril of smoke stirred from the kalocti's nose. When the boy was put back down, he sneezed a brilliant shower of sparks, melting small dents into the snow in front of him. Duo was too busy making his own footprints appear to notice.

After another twenty minutes of play, the mynioka crawled to his partner, whimpering.

"What's wrong, Duo?" Heero asked, picking the boy up. Duo lifted his wet tail and whined again before tunneling under the bottom of his partner's coat.

"Ch! Duo, that's cold!" he all but yelled, feeling the wetness of his tail seep into his own shirt.

"Perhaps we should head back," Zechs suggested amusedly.

"Yah!" Heero agreed rather loudly, feeling the snow-covered, wet bundle take residence in his shirt and find its way to the small of his back. A cold nose pressed against his side with a giggle.

Zechs left the two with a chuckle, intent on digging his own partner out of the cave of snow he'd made himself. When he found Wufei, he held a twig with its end lit with a tiny flame. He pushed the lit end into the snow and created a small hole, then flamed on the stick again to repeat the process.

"Come on, it's time to go, Wufei," Zechs told him, pulling the protesting boy into the crook of his arm. Wufei squirmed and climbed up into Zech's unused hood, poking his head out to watch the world behind them as they walked.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

By the time the four of them reached Heero's house, the snow had begun to fall in earnest and was making it difficult to see. Wufei had long abandoned his post in Zech's hood for a warmer area. Heero was almost certain his partner had fallen asleep in the back of his shirt, as he could feel the breathing steady out against his spine.

"I don't think it would be wise to drive home in this weather, Zechs," Heero yelled over the wind.

"I agree," was the reply over the blustery wind.

It was after lunch by the time Heero had lent Zechs and Wufei clothing and had gotten himself and Duo changed into drier attire. Heero set about making some warm soup for himself and his coworker while Zechs made sure the two boys drank their protein 'juice'. Afterwards, Heero gave both a chocolate each for their nasty-tasting struggles, and both men watched as their partners ate their confections.

Duo held his in both of his tiny hands, nibbling and licking at it until it was smeared across half of his face. Wufei, on the other hand, melted his with a few flaming breaths then had to lick the thick drops as they ran down his arms. By the time both were finished, it was decidedly bath time.

Heero volunteered to bathe the boys while his coworker found some clean clothes for them, but Zechs wouldn't have it.

"You don't want to attempt to give Wufei a B-A-T-H. It didn't go over so well last time. Why don't you take care of Duo in the restroom, and I'll use the kitchen sink for Wufei," Zechs schemed, eyeing the chocolated pair as they smeared their fingers over each other's face.

"I'll get some of Duo's, er, hygienic supplies for you to use." Heero carefully picked up the mynioka, careful to not smear more of the mess onto his clothes. Duo's eyes gleamed happily, and his tail swished, ready for whatever adventure came next. Heero sat him in the sink.

"Can you undress yourself while I take some soap to Zechs?" he asked.

"Ja!" Duo nodded enthusiastically and started to pull at his pants. When Heero returned, the boy had removed everything but his shirt, which was bunched up over his head with his arms caught.

"Would you like some help, Duo?" Heero asked, fighting back the urge to snicker. A muffled "ja" was emitted somewhere in the messy cloth. Once removed, Heero set the clothing aside to soak later, then turned on the water.

"Soa. puh?" the boy asked, eyeing the churning water from his vantage point on the edge of the sink, his tail making swipes across the porcelain. Heero's lips curled into a smile as he let a stream of soap drip into the bath. Duo promptly fell in while swiping madly at passing bubbles.

He came back up with a small sneeze. Smiling, Heero proceeded to unbraid and wash the sputtering mynioka's wavy hair.

Duo splashed at the soapy water throughout the duration of his bath, managing to get suds in his partner's hair upon many occasions. Once washed and dressed, Duo was placed on the rug while Heero cleaned the sink and put away the soaps.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

C&C's are loved 3


	2. Chapter 2

The usual disclaimer applies: I'm poor and own no bish. Story is mine, the boys, sadly enough, aren't.

Um, I forgot to mention, Zechs is pretty hardcore OOC ;;; And many thanks to everyone who left comments, I appreciate them ! To clear up any confusion, I'm imagining Duo as being more of a small person with a few cat-like traits, such as ears, tail, and retractable claws.

Enjoy:)

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

While brushing Duo's hair, the pair froze at the sound of a loud thump that came from the kitchen. They had been listening to Wufei's indignant squealing and Zech's frustrated orders for quite some time, but now all sound had died. After a moment of staring at the door, Duo and Heero could hear Wufei's squeaking start back up again, along with Zech's laughter. Finishing the braid, Heero picked up his partner and made his way to the main room and kitchen to survey the damage.

Wufei was lying on a towel on the counter, with Zechs chuckling while he drained the sink. He was dripping wet, adding more water to the puddles on the kitchen's tile floor.

"Did you give Wufei a bath or did he give you one, Zechs?" Heero asked amusedly while going for his mop.

"Both," Zechs chuckled. "He'd been trying to get away the entire time, and he finally squirmed his way out of my hands and to the floor." He stifled a laugh. "And now he's upset because his rear hurts," he said, snickering.

Wufei just lay on his side with his arms folded, glaring death at anyone who dare giggle in his direction. After being dressed and taken to the couch, he was more willing to sit, but still grimaced at the action.

Heero stood at the window with Duo in his arms, watching the snow. The young mynioka was silent and, for once, unmoving.

"Why's it cold?" he asked in a quiet voice with his eyes still on the swirling flakes. "Is wadder, jus' cold."

"That's what happens to rain when it gets cold outside," Heero answered seriously. "It turns to snow or ice. That's why Zechs can't go home yet," he said, turning to look at the other man.

"Cars can't drive very well on snow and ice," Zechs explained, pulling Wufei with him to stand by the window.

"Stay 'ere," Duo smiled, "okay?" He looked up at his partner for approval.

"Yes, Zechs and Wufei are welcome here." He turned to the blond, "Duo's right, the roads won't be clear for a while."

"But—"

"It's no trouble," Heero interjected. "There's a fold-out mattress in the couch, and I'm sure I can find you something to wear." He nodded towards Zech's damp clothing. Wufei nodded, consenting for his still stubborn partner.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

After another meal of protein drinks for the younger pair and some soup for the elder, games commenced. Zechs suggested that Wufei and Duo play tag.

Wufei, having longer legs, usually won. Heero suggested that they play hide-and-seek.

Duo, being more stealthy, usually won.

It was after the fourth game of hiding and seeking that the lights flickered and went out. Wufei, the seeker, immediately shot to his partner, slightly shaken from the sudden lack of light.

But Duo was no where to be found. Heero lit a candle for himself and his guests then called out the boy's name, only to be met by silence.

"He must think it's still a game," Zechs suggested in a quiet tone, smoothing his partner's hair comfortingly.

"Duo?" Heero tried again. The darkness was silent. "Zechs, why don't you pull out the mattress in the couch? I'll get you some blankets. It's going to get cold in here if we don't have power."

"What about Duo? Aren't you going to find him?" the blond asked.

"Yes, I'll look in the cupboard with the blankets and towels, he might be in there," Heero answered, handing Zechs another lit candle.

After searching the cupboard and making the couch into a bed, Duo had yet to be found. It was only when Heero went into the bathroom, to run some hot water for tea before the pipes cooled, that he heard a sniffle.

Setting the candle down on the sink, he peered around the bath curtain. A small, dark shape was curled under the bath faucet, shivering.

"Duo." Heero reached out and pulled the boy into an embrace. "Are you alright?"

The mynioka pressed himself as close as he could to his partner and sniffed in response.

"Why didn't you come out?" Heero asked, rubbing the boy's back.

"Couldn't. Got slipped. Dark," Duo murmured into his shirt.

"You slipped?"

"Big bath." His tiny hands clawed at the fabric as he climbed higher to press against his partner's warm neck.

"You couldn't climb out of the bathtub," Heero concluded, taking his candle with him to go to bed.

Duo nodded. "It slip."

Heero sighed, getting his candle and taking Duo to his bedroom and getting him changed into some of the strange nightclothes that were made for growing myniokas. He figured their elasticity was due to the fact that myniokas were supposed to grow during the night.

"How come is dark?" Duo asked while his partner changed into some sweats.

"Because the power went down," Heero replied, piling on a few extra blankets and climbing under them, then pulling the mynioka with him.

"How come power went down?" Duo asked, looking up at the human's face from where he sat on his chest.

"Because the storm must have disconnected a power line." He sighed.

"How come—"

"Shhh. Go to sleep." Heero rolled to his side, pulling Duo in front of him and wrapping an arm around the boy. The mynioka curled up between his chest and his arm, still wondering why the house was dark as he drifted to sleep.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Heero woke with a chill. Upon opening his eyes, he judged the time to be mid-morning, with the room outside his blankets cold and the cloudy skies outside still snowing. He blearily blinked at his bedside table; there was a small note lying in front of his lamp. His hand ventured out from the warmth of the blankets and grabbed ahold of the paper.

"Sorry for the note, but I didn't want to wake you up. Wufei wasn't feeling well early this morning, most likely from being in the park yesterday, so we're taking the tram home. Hope you get power soon. –Zechs"

He grunted at the paper, then replaced it on the table and pulled his arm back under the blankets.

Looking down at Duo, he could see that the mynioka was inside his shirt, nearly obscured by its folds, with only his face poking out of the wadded fabric. He brushed the hair from the boy's eyes and watched his tiny nose twitch at the feeling before he curled further down into his shirt. Wrapping his arm around Duo's small form, Heero let his head drop down onto his cool pillow and fell asleep within moments.

Heero's next conscious thought was of the odd tickle on his cheek. He turned his head, and the feeling was removed and replaced on his chin; he then also noticed there was a weight on his chest. Heero opened his eyes to find Duo smiling down on him, his ears tilted forward, straddling his chest with his hands resting on his chin.

"'Morning!" he piped, giggling as he touched the tip of his tiny nose to Heero's in greeting. Sitting up, the human let the boy slide down his stomach into his lap as he still grinned up at him.

"Why are you so happy?" Heero asked, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

"I watch your eyes open, I like." Duo smiled, gripping his nightshirt and attempting to stand on his thighs. Heero took ahold of the mynioka's elbows and steadied him as he parted his legs so the boy could stand on the bed between them.

"That makes you happy?" he asked Duo's back and fuzzed hair as he took a few wobbling steps past his knees.

"Ja!" He turned to smile at his partner, but lost balance on the lumps of the blankets and fell to his side.

"How come it's still cold?" Duo asked, crawling back to sit in the human's warm lap.

"Because they haven't gotten the power lines reconnected yet." Heero sighed before he blinked at the boy. "Your legs are longer."

Duo grinned, swishing his tail. "When you notice, I wondered."

Heero held him up under his arms. Duo's shirt rumpled as he curled his body to get more comfortable in the position, with his tail making swipes in the air below his bent legs.

"You're about two inches taller," he concluded, putting the boy back down. Duo giggled happily, rubbing his head against his partner's palm. Heero scratched absentmindedly at the fragile ear and its surrounding hair.

"There isn't much to do right now since we don't have power," he frowned, not wanting to leave the warmth of the blankets. "We could use the fireplace..."

He got up and quickly pulled a sweater and some warm socks onto Duo and a hoodie with slippers for himself. The boy immediately climbed into the pouch pocket, poking his head out one end and his tail out the other.

"Aren't you getting a little big for riding around in my shirt?" Heero complained grumpily, going to the fireplace.

"Nuh." Duo shook his head.

Sighing, the human placed the wood in the form he wanted and lit the kindling. After letting the flames grow for a few minutes, he went to the kitchen and fished out a pair of long-handled tongs and some bread. He grabbed a jar of jam, a knife, a few napkins, and a bottle of Duo's protein drink, then went to sit on the rug in front of the hearth.

The boy squirmed out of his pocket and sat by him, watching intently.

"Whatcha doin'?" he asked, sniffing at the strange-looking set of metal bread-holder-thingers.

"Making toast. Here." Heero handed the bottle of drink to the mynioka. Duo looked up at him with a hurt expression in his eyes, as if he'd just been kicked.

"Come on, it's not a choice." Heero nodded at the bottle. "You can have some toast and jam afterwards, okay?" Duo wrinkled his nose again before acquiescing.

Sighing, Heero placed a piece of bread in the tongs and carefully toasted it. He hated making Duo look like that, as if he'd hurt him. Turning the piece of bread to toast on the other side, he concluded that Duo would never hurt as long as he was around. Unlike his own life, the boy would never be left without someone to consider a good friend as long as he was around.

Placing the toast on a napkin, he reached for another piece of bread. But surely he couldn't be this close to Duo forever. No, he was his own person, not something that could be owned or kept. What would happen to him after the Preventers?

Heero blinked, turning the toast. After they were retired from the field, most Preventers were assigned to desks after age thirty-five or simply retired permanently. The field work was too difficult for anyone who wasn't in top condition…but what would happen to Duo then? These new types of partners, the myniokas and the kaloctis, were too new to have anyone become old enough to retire.

Starting on a new piece of toast, he frowned at the flames. Duo would age with him, they were linked somehow as partners…but then would Duo die with him as well? Myniokas and kaloctis were never paid; their human partners were simply given more money to take care of them…so Duo wouldn't have any money to get his own house. Would he stay here then?

Why did it matter? He glared at the toast. Duo was cute with a loving personality, why would he ever choose to stay here, with someone who even his closest colleagues called anti-social. His temper was known as well. And really, he didn't have any close friends.

He turned his glare to the burning logs. He was almost positive his co-workers made fun of him behind his back. After Duo found another fun-loving person there was no reason for him to—

"'Ro?" A voice cut into his thoughts. Duo was peering up at him worriedly, the bottle lying empty on the floor next to him. The boy crawled to his leg and rubbed his cheek against the human's bent knee placatingly. "Whas'a matter?" he asked.

"Nothing," Heero nearly growled, yanking the toast from the fire and blowing out a flaming corner.

He roughly smeared strawberry jam on the pieces, giving Duo the less-charred one. After accepting his piece, the boy squinted up at him suspiciously.

"Just eat." Heero shook his head, warding off any incoming questions by taking a large bite of his breakfast. For some reason, the idea of Duo being close to anyone made him…sad? Angry? Maybe even betrayed? No, that couldn't be it. The boy had been around less than a week…yet he couldn't imagine continuing life without him.

"'Ro," the boy interrupted again.

He blinked at the mynioka, who was tugging at his sweatpants. "Tell it."

He climbed into his partner's lap, looking up at him hopefully. Jam was smeared across his cheeks, and his well-licked fingers were still slightly sticky. Heero looked down at him for a moment before picking him up and taking him to the kitchen.

He wet a washcloth and wiped at Duo's cheeks while the boy continued to look at him. After cleaning his hands, Heero looked down at him a moment longer before pulling him into an embrace. He could feel the boy wrap his arms around his neck and press his face just below his jaw.

"S'matter, 'Ro?" Duo whispered, running his fingers through a chunk of Heero's hair at the nape of his neck, just as the human had done to him many times when he was upset.

"What's going to happen?" the human whispered, his words barely a breath. "After the Preventers…" He felt tense, and possibly angry? No, this wasn't anger. Fear, that was more accurate. He was afraid of what would happen, where the mynioka would end up, and with whom. "Where will you end up?" He frowned.

Duo shifted, sitting back in his arms to look at his face. "With you?" he asked quizzically, pulling lightly on Heero's hood strings. "Where elsewhere I could go?"

Heero studied him silently. He was still young, and it was difficult to tell who he really would be once he was grown, or a few years from now after being in the field…

He frowned, really not liking the idea of Duo disarming bombs, carrying a gun, or especially ducking for cover from bullets.

"Ro," Duo interrupted. "It bees okay," he said before climbing up to sit on his shoulder, patting his cheek, then combing his fingers through the dark hair. "It bees okay. Yanno, hair is soft more than in-front-of-fires rug."

Heero sighed, putting his troubles at the back of his mind. "Yes, I should hope it would be. That rug is an antique." He rinsed out the washcloth he'd used on Duo's face.

"Yanno! Antique spells like an-tek-kwoo-ee." The boy giggled, fuzzing all the hair he could reach the wrong way. Heero frowned, pulling Duo down and into his arms.

"Your hands are cold," he stated, covering a small hand with his own.

"Ja, house is cold," Duo agreed, poking his cool nose against his partner's warm sweater.

After sitting the giggling boy down on the couch, Heero pulled some blankets and spare pillows from the closet and piled them on the rug in front of the fireplace. Duo wiggled off the couch and joined him, burrowing under the fabric.

"When does power lines connected again?" the lump under the blanket asked, rolling closer.

"When the power company employees reconnect them," Heero replied, pulling the blanket above his head. By lying on his back and turning his head, he could see the boy under the blanket.

"When's they come?" Duo asked while crawling to his favorite spot, the crook of his partner's neck.

"I don't know," he answered, lifting the blanket above his face up. "But we can't stay under here too long."

"Why's that?" Duo was playing with his hair again.

"Because we'll use up the air under here," he replied, hoisting the blanket higher in hopes of getting some fresh air.

Duo watched him for a moment before grinning brightly and crowing, "Tent! We make into tent!" Heero watched his partner hop excitedly.

"A tent?" he asked as Duo tried to hold up a fold of fabric himself.

"Tent—no! Fort! We make fort!"

"A fort?" Heero asked, raising an eyebrow while he sat, still holding the blanket up as he listened to the boy…laugh? No, it wasn't a laugh. It was more like a cackle; a mischievous cackle.

"And we fight off evil powerline employee mens with—"

"Duo," Heero interrupted, in a slightly annoyed tone. The mynioka poked his head out from under the depths of the blanket, grinning as he looked up at his grumpy partner.

"Ja?" he asked cheerfully, evidently not caring that half of his vision was obscured by a drooping fold of fabric. Heero just sighed, extending his free hand to pull the boy to him.

"We make fort and fight bad guys, 'Ro?" he asked, still smiling as he looked up at his solemn partner, who was idly smoothing his long hair down.

Heero felt a smile tug at his lips; Duo's hair was static, sticking to everything, and his bright eyes were so eager. How could he say no? He pulled the blanket around them and leaned down slightly.

"Okay, Duo, how do you make a fort?" he asked, nearly grinning when he saw the boy's face light up.

"Ya gots blankets and stick, and ya make it open by stick." His brow wrinkled. "Or four sticks, 'cause it's 'four-t'. Maybes." Duo rubbed at his nose thoughtfully, then counted out four fingers. "Four sticks is many."

"I think we can make due with just one," Heero interrupted, the smile still on his lips. Duo grinned up at him. "Ja?"

The human nodded, then placed his partner on the blankets and went to the broom closet. After unscrewing the handle from the mop, he pulled the blanket to them again. Duo watched as he propped the stick up with a pillow, leaving a large opening near the fireplace.

"What now?" he asked the boy.

"Fight bad guys!" Duo crowed, his tail swishing behind him.

"And when are the bad guys due to arrive?" Heero asked amusedly.

"Umm." His face scrunched in thought. "They come…when…they come! We wait." He gave a curt, serious nod.

"And what shall we do while we wait?" Heero asked, becoming more and more amused.

"Uh, dunno." Duo scrunched his face again, then looked up with a grin. "What'cha wanna do?"

Heero thought for a moment, then crawled out of the blanket to return a moment later with a book. While he propped himself up with a pillow and settled on his back, Duo asked, "Whas' that about?"

"This?" his partner asked innocently, bending his knees and resting the book on them. The boy nodded enthusiastically, his eyes never leaving the book's red cover. "This book is very important. We studied out of it while I attended Sanc University," he intoned, opening the well-used pages.

Duo wiggled his way onto his partner's tilted stomach and curled up on top of the hoodie's pouch-pocket to stare up at him. Heero gave him a soft look before he began reading.

"There is a place where the sidewalk ends and before the street begins…"

Ten poems later, Heero noticed that the boy's head had sunk behind his tail, which was curled around his body, asleep. With a contented sigh, he placed the book beside him and folded his arms up to support his head. Soon, he too fell victim to the mid-day nap.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Duo felt himself slowly sliding down. He opened his eyes and looked up at his partner, who had his head cradled in his hands and was breathing slowly in sleep. A smile sprang onto his face as he carefully climbed back up his stomach; he loved watching Heero's deep blue eyes open.

They reminded him of glass; there were a million different shards of blue if he could get close enough to see them. He also liked seeing his partner while he was sleeping because he was completely at ease. When he was awake sometimes it would look as if he were carrying an invisible bag that was strapped to his shoulders. Other times he would look tense, as if anything, even the walls around him, would attack or insult him. When he was awake he was sometimes like a thin wire stretched just a bit too far, but when he fell asleep that all seemed to melt away. Just once, Duo told himself, he wanted to see Heero fall asleep and watch his problems fade away.

Stealthily crawling up nearly to his collar, Duo studied his face. He was no kit, but he really wasn't old. In his sleep, the lines between his brows were smoothed out. With a blink, Duo realized he looked younger. Maybe, he thought, he could get him to relax more when he was awake; make him happy so those lines would go away without being asleep.

Giddy with a new goal, Duo stretched forward and touched the tip of his small nose to his partner's, mentally sealing his promise. As he leaned back, the breath that had been subtly stirring his hair changed its pace as its owner drew in a deep breath and yawned. He giggled as the dark lashes twitched and opened to reveal deep blue eyes.

Heero grunted, furrowing his brow and closing his eyes again with a tired sigh. Face lines? Duo's grin turned to a look of determination. He wasn't supposed to have more face lines. The very moment he woke up, that invisible bag seemed to fall on him again. It was time to get down to business. The mynioka flattened his ears against his head and narrowed his eyes; with his tail swishing in the air behind him he found an idea.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Gyaa!" The shout rang loud in the still house as the human jumped up, knocking down his makeshift tent and tumbling to the floor shouting. He emerged from the fabric a moment later panting, with several clumps of his hair sticking up, as he held his smaller companion by the back of his tiny shirt. The boy's tail swung excitedly below him, and a much-too-large grin graced his miniature face.

"Duo!" he huffed, giving his best glare.

"Ticklish, 'Ro?" the boy asked with mock innocence. If possible, Duo's grin seemed to grow wider as his tail continued to swish.

"I—yea—no. I'm not ticklish." He put the boy down and sat on the sofa, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. It still felt like there was a furry tail wreaking havoc under his shirt. "You just startled me."

"Ja?" Duo asked, looking up at him from his spot on the floor.

"Yes," he replied sternly.

"Okay, then." The mynioka took a dive toward his feet. Heero reacted just in time and caught the boy before he could complete his pounce. "Duo!" he barked, holding him at arm's length.

"Just…testing reflexes," Duo grinned, twitching his fuzzed tail at him.

"Oh really?" the human asked sarcastically as he placed the boy on his lap.

"Ja!" He grinned happily, looking up at his partner with glee. The lines between his eyebrows had now vanished, and he looked pretty happy. So far, his mission was a success.

"Why don't I…"—Heero raised his hands with a small smile creeping onto his face—"test your reflexes!" He attacked, tickling the yelping boy mercilessly. Duo managed to flee his lap and was making a dash for under a couch cushion when he was attacked again, with his arms wrapped around himself, his tail and legs flailing.

After a few minutes Heero relented, closing his eyes and lying on his side with his back against the upright couch cushions; his legs dangled off the side. Duo was panting while lying on the couch in one of his partner's curled arms.

"'Ro?" he said while catching his breath.

"Hn?" Heero hummed back, not moving.

"I'm tired." Duo yawned.

"I bet you're hungry too." He cracked open an eye as he felt his companion cling to the collar of his shirt and start to curl up in it. With a sigh he supported the boy and sat up. "You are hungry, aren't you?" he asked again.

"Mmhm," came the hummed response from where Duo pressed his face against his neck.

"Then don't fall asleep yet," he softly remarked, getting a bottle of protein drink from the kitchen. "Here." He pulled the boy away from his neck and toward his shoulder. "Drink this first, then you can go to bed."

He was met with no resistance, as his partner was already half asleep. The boy finished half of his dinner before Heero caved in and let him sleep. Holding Duo with one hand and grabbing his briefcase with the other, he went to the couch and reclined just enough to be able to use both his hands and not disturb the slumbering boy. Then he pulled a blanket over them both, lit a candle, opened his briefcase, and began to review reports.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

TBC

C&C's are loved


	3. Chapter 3

here's another chapter for everyone

this one has a bit of 3+4ness for all you Quat&Trowa fans 3

enjoy!

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Noise.

Ah, silence.

Noise again. A low growl rumbling throughout his body.

Silence…

Noise. Make it stop!

Duo blinked awake, his claws and hair standing on end as he tumbled over onto a less-soft and much cooler surface. He vaguely noted the heating and lights were back on.

The couch?

He grumbled, rubbing his sleepy eyes. Heero was standing, growling at something. Looking up, he realized his partner was glaring in the direction of the kitchen and grunting at something he had pressed up against his ear.

The mynioka pushed himself up, into a sitting position and watched his human get more and more angry at the tiny object that he was pressing against the side of his face. Lines marred his sleepy features as he gave an affirmative grunt before he snapped the small thing shut.

Duo's curiosity was piqued as he wondered what was going on. Heero just stood there for another moment with his eyes closed, rubbing his forehead. He sighed, sinking down onto the couch and letting his head fall back.

The boy frowned. Although his body appeared relaxed, the human still had those lines on his face. He slowly crept up and set one of his hands on one of his partner's much-bigger knuckles.

"What happen?" he asked, taking his gaze from the difference in their hands to the dark-headed man's face. Duo blinked as he sighed again and opened his eyes. Heero sighed when he was stressed and needed to relieve tension…was that why he did it all the time?

"I have a meeting," Heero stated, looking frustratedly down onto his small partner. Duo blinked; a meeting?

"We're going to have to take the tram." He sighed again, looking at his watch and jumping up with a muttered curse. "It's a few hours away, and we don't have much time."

Duo watched as his partner scrambled to a closet. He pulled out a large bag and hurried to the bedroom. Perplexed, Duo swung a leg off the couch, toes searching for the rug below. After a few locating swishes of his tail, he plopped onto the carpet and scrambled around the decorative screens.

Heero was pulling clothes out of his wardrobe and folding them neatly into the bag with quick precision. Duo watched as he dug through the top drawer and glared at a small hole in the seat of a pair of slacks. With a grunt, he shoved them back in and dug out an identical pair, sans the imperfection. But what was the bag for?

Duo leapt onto the side of the bed then climbed his way to the top for a better look. He stood on tiptoe, trying to see into the unzipped bag, but the sides were stiff and he could barely get his nose to the upper ridge, let alone see the interior.

Bouncing up, he balanced on the edge of the bag only to have it shift under his weight and pitch him forward, onto the neatly folded shirts within. A moment later his partner's frowning face glowered down at him, just before he was roughly pulled out and set onto the bedspread.

"Duo, I don't have time to play," he growled, checking his watch again. "I need to leave within the hour." Heero stepped towards the wardrobe again before he froze, looking back at the still slightly confused boy.

"You can't…" Heero rubbed his eyes, swearing. "You're going to have to come with me." With a forced sigh he went to Duo's clothing and started to fold it into the bag as well. Duo sat still and watched the nearly frantic scene. Suddenly, fabric landed on his head, obscuring his vision.

"Put those on," he vaguely heard his partner growl from across the room. He pulled the offending pants away from his somewhat crumpled ears only to have a sweater land in their place.

He quickly redressed, knowing the human was merely stressed and would hopefully get over it soon. Heero surely wasn't frowning and sighing because of him, was he? As a pair of socks whizzed past his arm and skidded to a stop on the blanket behind him; he really wondered if that was the big problem.

He looked over to the human, who had flung his hoodie to the side and was quickly pulling on an undershirt and dress shirt as his unbuttoned slacks slowly slid back down his legs. After a moment he jerked them back up and stuffed his shirt into them, then turned and dug around for some socks with one hand while buttoning with the other. Duo stifled a giggle as he tried to pull a sock onto one foot while nearly falling over, making him hop around, one side of his hair still mussed from sleeping on the couch. Red-faced, Heero scowled over at him, pulling on the other sock.

"Hurry up!" he growled angrily, rushing to the bathroom for more supplies. Duo realized he'd been idle and quickly fumbled with his socks, hoping if he was ready real fast, Heero would be happy again.

No such luck. After a few more packing blunders, a hurried routine in the bathroom, and a quick meal, a cap was jammed over his ears, and his arms and tail stuffed into his coat. Heero slung the bag over his shoulder, grabbed the boy, and quickly shuffled out the door.

Within minutes, Heero had shuffled down the snowy sidewalk and arrived at the tram station. Few people were braving the snow-covered streets and chilly station, so it took little time for them to get onto the tram.

Duo's nose and eyes were in overdrive, discovering what was around him. He squirmed, trying to get from his partner's lap to the floor to explore, but Heero grunted and gave him a warning glare which somewhat stifled the urge. He started as he felt the tram jerk forward and build speed as it rumbled along the dark tubes.

For a moment Duo wondered why it was suddenly so black outside the windows before he realized they were underground. With a small whimper, he looked up to his partner with wide eyes. They were…underground. What if the ground fell in? Grabbing a hold of Heero's coat, he buried his face in it, trying to find some comfort from his anxiety. What if something else was following them down the tunnel…like a big snake! What if the tunnel ended…or if there was a snake in front of them? They'd never be able to stop in time! What if—

"Duo," Heero said tiredly in a quiet tone. "What are you doing?"

He paused with one of Heero's black gloves halfway on his head, the fingers dangling limply onto his shoulder.

"Uh." He bit his lip nervously, looking up at the stern, yet tired, face above him sheepishly. "Hiding?"

With another sigh, Duo found himself being scooped up and pushed into the warmth of his partner's half-unzipped coat. He immediately clung to the soft inner sweater, feeling the heat coming from the skin beneath and calming instantly. A soothing hand was tucking his stray hair down.

"What are you hiding from?" Heero asked him quietly, his eyes flicking to the only other passenger, an elderly lady, who had her face stuck nearly against the page of the morning paper, silently mouthing the words of the article as she read it through the thick glasses perched at the end of her nose.

"Snakes." Duo shuddered, burying his face against his partner's sweater again, relishing the familiar scent after being exposed to so many new ones. Heero just sighed again.

"What's matter?" Duo asked, looking into his face and forgetting his previous fear. Heero frowned at the ad he had been reading above the seat across from them.

"Nothing."

"'Ro?" The mynioka patted his partner, knowing it was a lie.

"I said nothing!" he hissed, scowling down at the boy for a moment before glancing toward the elderly lady, who was evidently oblivious to anything else the tram car. Duo stared up at him a moment before snuggling down into the human's warm coat to contemplate his actions.

Why wouldn't Heero say what was bothering him? They were partners, and partners shouldn't keep secrets. Partners have to work as a team. Then why was Heero not telling him anything? Unless…

Duo stiffened, his eyes blinking. What if Heero was stressed because _he_ was there? Maybe he didn't really want him; he did say that he didn't know how to be around kits. Perhaps he…really didn't want him at all.

With a sniff, the boy frowned at that thought. Heero wouldn't take him to a meeting if he didn't care about him. Unless…he was going to get rid of him! No, that surely wasn't right!

The mynioka felt tears prickle his eyes. Heero wouldn't just give him away or leave him somewhere, would he? He wasn't going to get left, Heero wouldn't do that.

He swiped his sleeve across his wet cheeks and buried his face into the side of his warm partner, who grunted irritably. Duo shook his head, wiping his tears into the fabric. No, Heero couldn't leave him; he'd never, never do that.

"Stop that, Duo!" Heero whispered in a warning hiss.

The boy stilled and muffled a small sob. Maybe it was true.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Duo blinked awake as his surroundings shifted. He was still inside Heero's coat, pressed against his ribs, but they were walking. The boy lay still, listening to their surroundings and trying to memorize the last few moments he would be with his partner.

When Heero stopped, he could hear the lock of a door click open. Duo feigned sleep when he felt his partner slowly pull him out of his coat. He was placed on a cool, but still soft surface before Heero stepped away, moved about the room for a moment, then opened the door and stepped out.

The mynioka couldn't hold his tears in any longer when he heard the finality of the lock clicking into place. He'd really left, after all. Duo sobbed, pushing his face down into the fabric beneath him.

The room around him was small; a lamp sat on the table next to the bed he was on, with curtains and a window past that. A small vid station sat in the corner. He didn't know where he was, but this was definitely not home.

What was going to happen now? He had no other purpose than to be with Heero. He vaguely hoped that unwanted partners simply ceased to exist; at least it would be an easy end. Maybe…

He sniffled again, pulling his legs close and curling his tail around him. Hopefully it didn't take him too long to disappear; he'd hate to stop his disappearing process just so he could eat dinner.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

It seemed like forever, the time it was taking to finally drift into oblivion. But his process was suddenly halted with the sound of the door behind him being opened. Maybe someone had to make him disappear, and they were finally here. His eyes overflowed again as he paid a sniffling farewell to the world.

He started when something warm touched his back. "Duo?" a familiar voice asked softly. The boy felt himself being picked up and cradled in an arm.

"'Ro?" he asked, not believing his senses. What if it was all a dream and he'd wake up alone? A grunt stilled his thoughts.

"Are you ill?" he asked. Duo shook his head.

"Look at me then."

Cracking open his eyes, he blinked up at his partner, who was staring back at him with a concerned frown. Duo gaped into the deep blue eyes for a moment before turning and latching onto the fabric of the sweater next to him, crying desperately.

He could feel comforting fingers twine themselves in the hair on the back of his head, gently soothing him. Heero was moving, sitting down.

"Did you have a bad dream?" he asked softly. Duo shook his head, giving a muffled reply against his partner's chest.

After a few minutes the boy calmed, then pushed himself up higher to press against the human's neck before he mumbled a question against the skin there. Heero pulled him away, holding him out.

"What?" he quietly asked the squirming boy, who was trying to latch back onto his shirt.

"Don't leave!" he cried, still making futile swipes toward his partner's chest in hopes of catching the warm sweater there.

"What?" Heero asked again, his brow furrowing in confusion. "The meeting's ove—"

"You were mad!" Duo yelled, trying to twist out of the hands holding him up. "I'm trouble! Too much! You leave me—you don't want me!" With that, he tumbled to the bed below.

He flung himself off the side and scurried under it, wanting to hide. Everything was so messed up! He was so confused. "You don't want me. You don't want me…" he continued to sob out, curling into a ball in the darkness under the bed.

A large hand closed around his middle, startling him. He automatically fought back, sinking his claws into the skin, but the hand didn't release him. Instead, he found himself being pulled out into the dim light and pressed against the warm sweater he'd been close to, minutes before. He latched on, burying his face and clawing into it.

"I'm sorry," his partner said quietly, smoothing down his hair. Duo slowly blinked up at him, leaving his anger for confusion and curiosity. "I'm not mad," he stated simply, looking down at the boy's tear-stained cheeks and red eyes.

"I hate going to these meetings," he explained, his face nearly blank, but his eyes troubled as he looked away. "They're annual inspections. They call in random Preventer officers and test them. They never give hardly any warning so that people don't try to train in the last minute, but you're in trouble if you're late. They make me nervous," he admitted.

Duo stared up at him, making connections in his head.

"I thought you were asleep." His gaze turned back to the boy. "So I left you in here."

Duo sniffed. It was going to be okay.

"Where is 'here'?" he asked softly, looking around. There were a dresser and two doors behind them.

"We're in a motel," Heero answered, confused. "We'll go home tomorrow."

"Oh." The mynioka stared at the wall, feeling stupid. "So you still want me?" he asked honestly, looking back at his partner.

"Of course," Heero intoned. They locked eyes for a moment before Duo started at something wet seeping into his shirt. His partner's bloodied hand was still around him. He felt a wave of guilt. Heero's sleeve was somewhat shredded as well.

"It's not bad," the human said, as if reading the boy's thoughts, taking them both through one of the doors and into a bathroom. Duo was placed on the counter as he washed his hand. After a minute it became apparent that the marks weren't as deep as they seemed.

"Sorry," Duo said dejectedly, his ears drooping almost to an uncomfortable level.

"It's all right," Heero countered. "I didn't explain things to you. It's not your fault."

The mynioka continued to stare sadly at him as he dried his hand after it had stopped bleeding.

Heero picked him up, and after a few minutes of rummaging in the travel bag, helped him change into a pair of orange shorts and a t-shirt.

"No underwears?" Duo asked, pulling his tail through the hole provided for the purpose.

"No, not where we're going," his partner answered, pulling a gray pair on himself. Duo watched as he snagged one of the white robes hanging on the wall and put it on. After picking up his keys, he took the boy's hand and led him out the door.

Duo soon found himself in a large, steamy room with huge bathtubs; or rather, huge squares of water in the floor. His shirt was taken off, as was his partner's robe, and he was led to the side of the odd bath.

Two kit-age human girls were splashing each other at the other end, and to the side an elderly couple sat in a smaller tub. He watched as Heero slid into the water, coming back up with his hair matted to his head and a small smile on his face.

"It's not cold, come in," he said, while reaching for the boy. Duo protested as the wet hands lifted him and placed him in the water; then they suddenly left him. He immediately panicked, reaching out for the human as he sunk. His head dipped down into the water, but a second later he was being pulled back up, sputtering and scared.

"'Ro!" he coughed, vainly trying to cling to his partner's wet chest.

"No claws," Heero reminded, holding him halfway into the water. "Now kick your legs." Duo did as he was told, building a small froth. "Easy, don't kick so fast. Now use your arms to balance yourself."

Duo concentrated, dipping low a few times, but always coming back up quickly. He laughed gleefully when he saw that he was no longer being held.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Bump. Bump. Thunk. Thunk. Crash!

Heero was instantly conscious, out of bed, and in a defensive stance before his fogged brain kicked into "awake" mode. His eyes were riveted on the center of the commotion, who was presently doing a bad job of untangling himself from the fallen phone's cord.

The clothing from their bag was strewn across the floor along with a large amount of shaving cream. The can lie near the bed, along with a tube of toothpaste.

"'Ro," the boy called, distressed as he flailed his arms in frustration. The curled cord was wrapped around him many times, inhibiting his movement.

Heero ignored him. Surely he could get himself out. He began scraping the foam off the shaving cream-strewn clothing with slight irritation. The mess had mostly gathered on top of the clothes, for which he was glad; shaving cream carpet stains would be difficult to explain to the management. Hopefully it would come out of clothes decently enough; he frowned.

He was almost finished when a frightened squeak brought him out of his silent debate of whether or not he had enough laundry soap to complete the washing job. His partner, who was still hopelessly tangled in the cord, had plopped backwards into a pile of cream.

"'Ro!" He coughed, staring up at the human and pushing a glob of foam away from his nose. The corners of Heero's mouth quirked as he picked his sputtering partner up. Duo tugged at the sleeves of his shirt with intent to snuggle closer than from an arm's length, but the human carried him into the bathroom and deposited him into the tub.

"Put your clothes over the side," Heero instructed, turning on the water and adjusting the temperature. Duo pulled his sleeping outfit off and looked down the large expanse of white plastic with a worried expression.

"Bath is big," he said quietly, nervous about his last encounter with a bathtub.

"You swam in the pool last night; that was much bigger," Heero reminded him while snagging some shampoo off the counter behind him. Duo flicked ineffectually at the water pooling around his legs.

"I know," the boy said in a small voice, still worried. The human watched his partner fidget for a moment before turning off the water.

"Come here," he said quietly, holding a hand out to steady the mynioka as he stepped through the water. Duo sat near the faucet, somewhat calmed by the hand his partner held against his shoulder blades as his hair was washed.

By the time his hair was being rinsed, the boy was purring with contentment, all nervousness about the bath forgotten.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Heero!" a voice rang from the other end of the lobby. The dark-haired Preventer turned to the rapidly approaching person from his stance in the line.

"Quatre," he greeted the enthusiastic blond as Trowa, his partner, stepped to his side.

"I was hoping you hadn't left yet." The cheery mynioka smiled, eyeing the long line of customers waiting to turn their room keys in. "I wanted to meet your new partner."

Heero set his suitcase down and half-opened the zipper of his full coat without a comment, revealing the small person who was tucked inside.

"Oh, he's so tiny!" Quatre exclaimed with glee as Duo eyed him carefully while maintaining a firm grip on his partner's sweater. Heero winced, hoping the comment wouldn't affect the sensitive boy.

"He is rather small," Trowa quietly agreed.

Duo turned his face into the sweater, feeling self-conscious.

"Aw, I'm sorry, —" Quatre's eyes flicked to Heero's face.

"Duo," he supplied.

"I'm sorry, Duo," Quatre placated in a soothing tone. "I bet you'll grow quickly in your later stages."

The boy blinked at him warily, a frown secure on his face.

"Duo," Heero said softly. "Why don't you get to know Quatre and Trowa while I check out of the room?"

The small mynioka blinked up at his partner, then shook his head and buried his face back into the sweater.

"It's all right Heero, if he doesn't want to—" Quatre interjected.

"Duo," Heero whispered, undeterred. "You need to get to know both of them sooner or later. We are in the same department." After another silent moment, Heero brought his unoccupied hand up and stroked the boy's soft hair.

"Please?" he asked, his deep blue eyes connecting with bright violet. After a minute, Duo nodded and gazed back at Quatre's barely-contained grin.

The boy's tail curled self-consciously under him as he was held under his arms by the adult mynioka. He looked up at the man's smiling face with wide, wary eyes.

Heero looked back to the front of the line, where a blonde woman chatted amiably with the irritated-looking desk clerk. He knew Duo would need to begin his studies after they got home. Myniokas were made to teach themselves from the materials provided, one fact which Heero was curious about. He looked over at Quatre, who was currently being climbed on by the giggling boy as if he were a piece of playground equipment. How would Duo focus enough; how would he teach himself? He barely could eat a meal without needing attention, let alone for him to sit, staring at a book, for hours? Some things about the boy just didn't seem possible.

Heero stepped to the counter and quickly checked out. The clerk eyed him with slight interest, probably wondering if he was going to break into a fake grin and spout polite formalities about the room and service. Instead, Heero quickly gathered his things and walked to the corner of the lobby where Quatre and Trowa were seated.

Duo was sitting on Trowa's knee with his tail brushing across Quatre's leg. He was grinning up at the silent man as his hair was stroked. Upon seeing his partner, the boy bounced to the floor and skittered to the human's booted feet then tugged hopefully at his pants, looking up with a wide grin.

Heero picked him up, cradling him in one arm as Duo tried to climb higher to touch his nose to his partner's chin in greeting. They were both startled by Quatre's jovial laugh.

"He's very facially oriented. I wouldn't have guessed your partner would be, Heero." Quatre smiled at the boy, who had lost interest and was playfully batting at his partner's ear. The dark-headed man's confusion was evident as he ignored the small hand that was making swipes by his face.

"Facially-oriented?" he asked the blond. Quatre's grin must have been infectious; a smaller version was now spread across Trowa's face as well.

"Myniokas orient themselves with one trait of their human partner," the tall brunette said quietly.

"I liked Trowa's hair," Quatre smiled fondly at his partner. "So, I was always wanting to play with it. Duo, though, seems to like your face and neck."

Heero turned his head slightly towards his partner and blinked at him. The boy had been attempting to gain his attention by pressing his nose under the human's jaw and giggling.

"Was this in the mynioka instruction booklet?" Heero asked, his eyes still on the boy who was smiling in contentment now that he was basking in his partner's attention.

Surprisingly enough, it was Trowa who snorted at his comment. "Barely, Heero. They mention that myniokas often identify their partners by a distinguishing physical trait, but they never spoke of a life-long fixation."

"That might just be too easy," Quatre added slyly, his eyes fixed on his partner's hair and his mouth curved slightly. Trowa seemed to be oblivious to the blond's gaze; he stood and picked up his bag.

"There are many things that aren't in the manual, Heero," he intoned. "You have to figure them out for yourself."

"We'll see you in the office, Heero." Quatre was to his feet and following his partner as he walked to the main lobby doors. "Bye-bye, Duo!" He waved enthusiastically at the blinking boy, who feebly waved back. He'd been preoccupied by rummaging in his partner's coat pocket for valuables and was now confused at why they were standing there in the first place.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The shuttle ride proved too long for the boy, as he was asleep and curled in his partner's arm only a few minutes after they sat down. Heero watched over him silently.

He was growing so quickly now and was almost too big to fit comfortably inside even Heero's big, puffy coat. One of his fragile ears twitched to the side as a person across the car shifted their bags, but the boy slept on. Evidently, he could detect the difference between a sound and a threat even when he was asleep.

Experimentally, Heero shuffled the morning newspaper on his lap. Strangely enough, the boy's ears didn't move. Did he not register his partner's movements and sounds? It doesn't make sense, Heero thought. How can he trust that implicitly?

A cough from the back of the car alerted the boy's upper ear into movement again, yet the boy still slept. Heero tentatively touched the ear, lightly rubbing it under the fine hair, where it connected to his scalp.

The human watched as Duo's body visibly relaxed and he nuzzled his face into the fabric of his partner's coat. A minute later the boy sighed and began to emit a soft purr.

Heero could feel the corners of his mouth turning up and a warmth spreading throughout his body. It was a strange but comforting feeling, one that he wouldn't mind getting used to. He vaguely wondered if Duo was feeling the same way…when the boy's face split into a grin or as the mynioka giggled and pressed that small nose to his cheek.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The walk back to his house was a cold one, but it helped having another source of heat snuggled inside his coat. Duo slept until the human roused him after the bag had been unpacked.

Sleepy violet eyes blinked up at him as the boy woke. Heero amusedly watched as he grunted and burrowed further into the blanket he was resting in.

"Duo," Heero rubbed the mynioka's small back. "I've got something new for you."

That got a reaction. Duo wriggled out of the blanket immediately and grinned up at him excitedly with still-sleepy eyes.

"Ja?" he asked, his tail twitching with eagerness.

"But you have to eat dinner first."

Duo's face contorted into a look of disgust.

"Ick!" he exclaimed, shaking his head. "Fun now, food later?" he asked hopefully.

"No," the human shook his head and handed him a bottle. "You're going to be busy later, but I'm going to make sandwiches and you can have half of one when you're done."

"Oki-day." Duo accepted the bottle. He liked sandwiches, or pretty much anything his partner made. Perhaps, he thought, it was because it was his partner who made them.

Duo drank the protein drink and ate the half-sandwich in quick succession, then looked up to the human expectantly.

"Do you want another?" Heero bemusedly asked with a large bite of sandwich in his mouth, making one of his cheeks bulge. The boy shook his head, the grin on his face reflected in his eager eyes. A small smile tugged at Heero's face.

"Fine," he smirked. "It's in the bag on the table. Start at the top." Heero watched the boy skitter across the room and bounce up to a chair, then onto the table and pull the top book out of the bag. The second he excitedly opened the cover, his whole body froze.

Alarmed, Heero got to his feet and crossed to him with quick strides. The boy's eyes were moving rapidly across the page, reading its contents, but his body was completely still, even with one leg still hanging off the side of the table.

So this is what they meant by the mynioka's strange learning habits, Heero mused as he pushed Duo's leg up and settled him into a more comfortable position. The boy's eyes were still locked on the page in front of him though, still combing through the text rapidly.

Heero picked up his work files and made himself comfortable on the couch, finishing his sandwich and contemplating how long his partner would be stuck in that silent, immobile state.

TBC

3? /3?

Comments, thoughts, whatnots, and such are loved 3


	4. Chapter 4

"Partners"

Chapter 4

WAFF, some angst, preventer-ness.

Disclaimer: if I owned Gundam Wing, I would tweeze Dorothy's eyebrows.

Heero's eyes flicked from his paperwork to the dining room table, then back again. A moment later, he repeated the action.

Duo hadn't moved in three days, and now his partner was getting nervous. The boy had been completely unresponsive and hadn't shown any signs of life except for his barely-there breathing and his flicking eyes and fingers when the page needed turning. It was so quiet without his usual ramblings. Sometimes, Heero would find himself sitting by his partner, rubbing his back or tucking his hair away from his face; but the boy remained immobile. When Heero woke from his nightly dozings, he would check to see if Duo had grown, indicating whether or not he fell asleep between reading books. The trance-like state allowed for no rest, though, and he remained the same size for days.

Finally giving into his exhaustion, Heero stood and prepared to sleep in bed instead of camping out on the couch as he had been doing. He pulled Duo's blanket from atop of the coffee table and wrapped it around the unresponsive boy's shoulders. Letting himself fall onto the bed, he was asleep before he could even get under the comforter.

Light danced on his eyelids as he turned his head away. Something heavy was on his chest, pushing him into the mattress. Upon opening his eyes he found the weight was none other than his partner, whose head was currently residing against his neck. Purring puffs of warm air assaulted his collar as the boy breathed.

The tips of Duo's lightly furred ears twitched slightly, tickling his neck. One of his arms was wrapped around the sleeping mynioka, with the other he scratched at his chin. Then he realized how heavy his partner really was. Tilting to his side, he let the boy slowly slide to the bed to see him better.

Duo seemed to have grown to almost double his previous size overnight. Heero estimated the boy's shoulders were now as broad as his own hips and if he were standing he would be as tall as his waist or possibly chest; his hair seemed to grow as fast as the rest of him, if not faster. Only the lower half was pleated in a loose braid that hung over his hip. Apart from his ears and tail, he looked like a 10 year-old boy with the facial features of a teenager.

His face was less rounded than it had been, his jaw more defined. Slightly curved eyebrows with the corners of his mouth upturned in rest gave him a pleased or slightly mischievous look. His dark eyelashes were almost covered by his shaggy hair, which would need trimming; Heero made a mental note to find his hair scissors.

Almost as if he knew he was being studied, Duo's eyelids fluttered open to reveal amethyst irises darkened with sleep. The corners of his mouth twitched upward as his eyes locked into those of his partner before he stretched and snuggled back into the human's neck.

"How do you feel?" Heero asked softly, combing his fingers through his partner's loose hair.

"Sleepy," he mumbled back, his breath warm against Heero's neck.

"Are you hungry?" the human asked, still somewhat concerned about his partner's previous trance-like state. Duo slowly shook his head no, his face still hidden. Heero's brows drew together.

"I'll go make breakfast, and you can sleep," he said, pulling away. Duo's hand latched onto his sleeping shirt and, with a protesting grunt, held on.

"I'll be back," Heero said amusedly, pulling at his partner's hand. The mynioka's ears twitched irritably, but with another grunt of protest, he let go.

Heero swung his legs off the side of the bed and walked around the screens, rubbing at his tired eyes. A nap would definitely be in order for—he suddenly stumbled and nearly tripped over something. Heero glared down at ten empty bottles of Duo's protein drink.

That would explain his sudden growth, he reasoned. He'd been wondering how the mynioka could go without food for days then not be hungry.

His mouth watered as he quickly made a few pancakes and haphazardly drizzled syrup over them. After slicing up an apple and going back to sit on the bed beside his sleeping partner, he cut his pancakes neatly into large pieces. Heero's stomach grumbled with impatience as he lifted the first bite of golden-brown sweetness to his lips.

Suddenly, a breath of air touched his cheek.

Looking to the side, he realized Duo was awake, with his mouth open as wide as it could manage, along with his large, imploring eyes. His open lips curved upward slightly as the fork traveled away from its original destination and into his mouth. He hummed with appreciation and scooted closer, eyes intent on the fork.

Heero watched as his partner's tail dance with enthusiasm. His ears were set forward as he keenly watched the fork move back to the plate. Heero claimed the next bite as his own, watching in amusement as Duo's eyes followed the fork during its journey. As soon as he had picked up the next bite, the mynioka's mouth was wide open again.

"I thought you were tired," Heero smirked, giving his partner the next bite.

"I was," he mumbled back, his mouth full. "What's that?" the mynioka asked, eyeing the fruit pieces.

"Apple," Heero replied, finishing off the pancake in a few bites. Duo's large eyes watched him expectantly as he picked up a piece of the apple. "I'm not going to feed you like this your whole life, you know." Heero's smirk bled through his faux annoyance.

"I know," Duo replied in an almost giddy tone as he leaned forward and bit off half of the slice in his partner's hand. His tail batted the air behind him in a happy rhythm a minute later as he snatched the other half out of the human's now-open palm with his teeth.

Duo's eyes flicked to his partner's face as he swallowed his piece of the apple.

"You're messy," the boy mused, coming closer. Heero realized how close the mynioka was leaning and nearly tumbled backwards when he felt a breath against his cheek. He was ready to fall off the bed when a clawed hand caught ahold of the front of his shirt, amethyst eyes locked onto his lips. The human squeezed his eyes shut as he felt Duo's mouth tentatively touch his face, only to blink them back open in shock as a very wet tongue made a horizontal swipe across his chin.

"Syrup is good," he purred, sitting back casually and licking at the syrup around his own mouth. Duo's attention was soon averted as his eyes locked onto the plate with the remaining apple pieces. Heero was less lucky; his heart rate had skyrocketed, and he wasn't sure if he should feel dizzy, disgusted, or indifferent to the feeling on his chin.

"You gonna eat that?" the mynioka asked, eyeing the plate's contents. The human mutely shook his head, not trusting his voice to be in its normal octave. He watched quizzically as Duo set the apple pieces onto the bedside table then devoured the surface of the plate greedily, licking every drop of the sticky syrup, then cleaning his own hands and face afterwards.

When he finished, he turned back to his immobile partner and studied his face more closely for any more traces of the sugary substance.

"You okay, 'Ro?" Duo asked, leaning even closer to study his partner's pink-tinged cheeks and ears. Heero rubbed his too-warm face self consciously.

"Just thirsty," he mumbled, scrambling off the bed and going to get himself some juice. Being _that_ close to anyone was _very _uncomfortable…but it _was_ Duo. And yet…it felt like he was someone else. He felt a tug on his shirt.

Duo stood at his elbow, looking up at him with a curious expression. Heero poured the mynioka a small glass of orange juice as well. Duo slurped happily at his glass once they sat down on the couch, while Heero continued to study him. He had changed his clothes probably the night before and had some difficulty, judging by his backwards pants.

Sensing his gaze, Duo looked over at him and sat his empty glass on the table beside his partner's untouched one.

"What's wrong, 'Ro?" he asked, climbing onto the human's lap. Heero looked in his questioning eyes, almost completely violet with the morning sun while he debated whether or not to tell the boy what was on his mind.

"You grew," he stated blandly, looking at a spot on the carpet. "I'm just not used to it yet." Duo's arms came around his neck as the mynioka buried his face just below his ear.

"You know, just 'cause I'm bigger doesn't mean I don't still need you, 'Ro," his partner said quietly. Heero nodded, hugging the mynioka back.

"I'm gonna be your age soon. Will you still want me then?" Duo sat back, his large eyes looking imploringly into his partner's.

"Yes," Heero stated without hesitation. "It'll just take some time to get used to," he admitted. Duo grinned and touched his nose to the human's.

"Have you ever thought that when you grow up you won't want me?" Heero asked quietly, still not meeting the mynioka's eyes.

"No," Duo giggled, pressing their foreheads together and catching his evasive gaze. "You're silly. I'll always want you; you're my partner."

Heero just stared into the sincere eyes in front of his own. They sat in silence for a few minutes, both of their minds too busy for talk. Duo studied his partner, sensing more than he could actually see.

"What are you afraid of?" the mynioka asked solemnly. Heero hesitated, his automatic distrust for everyone taking hold of his mind.

"What are you afraid of?" he asked irritably, scowling at the boy.

"Being unwanted," Duo said softly, his large eyes still locked into his partner's. "Being left behind. Being alone," he added as his gaze softened.

"I'm afraid of," Heero's bit at his lower lip unconsciously, "trusting too much. Liking something too much." He paused, his throat tight. "Losing something valuable and never getting it back." The mynioka smiled up at him warmly.

"Yanno, I'll help you find it, if it gets lost." Duo swished his tail happily behind him, his hopeful eyes and ears intent on his partner's face. Heero's lips curved upward.

"I'm glad." He smoothed the boy's flyaway hair.

"What are we doing today, 'Ro?" Duo grinned, his tail swishing behind him with anticipated excitement.

"Well," Heero thought, going over a mental schedule. "I should take you to headquarters and get you into training classes." Duo blinked at him.

"What's those for?" he asked, his tail still.

"For your Preventers training," his partner replied, rubbing at the boy's ear. "But first, you need a good bath. And I'll call Zechs to see if Wufei would like to join you."

Duo slid off his lap as he stood, grabbing the phone from off the coffee table and heading toward the bathroom with the boy in tow.

"What're we doing in here?" Duo asked as the human piled a towel into his arms.

"You're a bit big for the sink, don't you think?" Heero set the phone down and started the bath, then went to get some mynioka soap.

By the time he got back, Duo was crouched in the bathtub, his hands under the faucet and playing with the rushing water, his clothes scattered all over the floor. Setting the soaps near his own, Heero picked up and folded the boy's clothing, then set it in a pile near the door. Grabbing the cup off of the mynioka shampoo bottle, he dunked it in the warm water and poured it over the boy's head.

"Bubbles?" Duo asked him, sitting back in the tub with pleading eyes, his dripping hair hanging limply in his face and the rest either stuck to his body or swirling weightless in the bathwater around him. Heero could feel a corner of his mouth quirk up at the boy's expression. He poured a drizzle of the mynioka soap foam in the churning waters under the faucet. Duo grinned as the bubbles filled the rest of the tub.

Turning off the water, Heero sat back on his heels and poured some more water on the giggling boy. Right before he was about to pour a dollop of shampoo on Duo's head, the phone rang. Heero quickly dried off his hands and answered it.

"Yuy here," he grunted into the receiver, cradling it with his shoulder and resuming the bath.

"You sound preoccupied, is this a bad time?"

"No, Zechs. I was just giving Duo a bath." He began working the shampoo on the top of Duo's head into a lather.

"Ah. I was wondering when you were going to take him in for training. Wufei and I were thinking about going in today."

"I was planning on doing that today, after his bath. Are you going to stay at Headquarters while he trains?" Heero nudged his partner to the side with soapy hands, trying to get at the hair he was sitting on.

"Yes, I was going to check over those files on the Neilson case. Wallace called and said he couldn't find a file, and you know what that means." Zechs sighed over the line, his frustration evident.

"Joel's been digging around in the files again." Heero frowned. That boy was the most disorganized—

"Yeah. And since we haven't been in there to keep him out of the database, I'd bet there's errors in there as well."

"I don't see why he hasn't been fired," Heero growled. "Or reassigned. His desk is a mess, I'd bet he's lost files in those 'stacks' of his. Duo, tilt your head back." The boy giggled, wiping at his sudsy face as his partner poured more water on his head to rinse out the shampoo.

"He has been reassigned, that's how we got him. Then he was reassigned again, if you'll remember. That's how he's got the cubicle instead of that nice office. All I can say is I'm glad he's not on the field with you; he'd probably forget the mission and lose the map on his way." Zechs sounded amused, but Heero snorted.

"Yeah, and I'm glad you're the one at the controls instead of him during missions. He'd tell us the wrong rendezvous coordinates and get his contact frequencies mixed up." Duo laughed out loud as his partner found a particularly ticklish spot under his shoulder blade with the washing cloth. "Hold on a minute, Zechs." Heero handed the washcloth to Duo and dried his hands.

"Duo," the human pulled the phone away from his cramping neck. "Why don't you finish up your bath while I talk to Zechs? I need to ask him something important."

Duo pouted, glaring at the rag in Heero's hands. He liked having his partner wash him; washing himself wouldn't be fun.

"I'll help you dry off, okay?"

"Mmm…okay," Duo agreed after a moment of deliberation. Heero closed the shower curtain and went to sit on the couch while the boy splashed in the bathroom.

"I'm back." Heero hushed his voice. "Have you heard anything on the Sanders welding plant?" he asked seriously.

"Yeah, Wallace and I talked about that as well. They discovered that some private shipments have been made every six months or so."

"With enough to build weapons for a full-scale attack, I'd bet." Heero grimly studied his carpet, his mind elsewhere.

"Yeah, but it's still not enough to confirm what they've got. Someone's working on getting a ground plan so we know what we're working with."

"How much time do you think before they make their move?" Heero asked, his muscles tensing.

"They don't know enough yet to determine. Wallace said someone's looking into if Sanders has record of contact with any other suspicious companies, but he said it wasn't probable. With a plant that size, they could build a good-sized air force or land army, let alone enough weapons to arm a colony."

"Do you think they aim to start a rebellion?"

"I'd doubt it, the civilians are too set on keeping peace. It would make more sense for them to want to attack and destroy Preventers first, then take over the Allied Government."

"Do you think…" Heero ran a hand through his hair agitatedly. "Will Wufei and Duo be fully grown before we make our move?" Heavy silence greeted him on the other end of the line for a moment.

"I…I hope so. And I also don't hope so. We need the backup badly, but…" Zechs's voice trailed off. Heero sighed, listening to Duo's happy splashing in the bathroom.

"They were made for this. We can't protect them forever, Zechs."

"I know… It's just going to be difficult to give Wufei a grenade, or—"

"That's what the training's for." Heero frowned, hearing the water drain out of the bathtub. "I need to go, though; it sounds like Duo's finished with his bath. Meet you at Headquarters around noon?"

"Sounds good. I'll see you then."

Heero disconnected the line and placed the phone back in its recharger, then went to the bathroom. Duo was standing on the rug in front of the sink with the large towel draped over his head and one of his knees on the pedestal sink as he tried to see into the mirror, his wet tail swinging behind him with mischief. Heero caught him before he tumbled to the ground and gave him a reproachful glance before pulling the towel off of his dripping hair.

"Your talk go well?" Duo asked him, holding out his arms and grinning.

"As well as I expected it to," Heero replied seriously, rubbing the towel vigorously over the boy's wet skin. "Bend over and I'll get your hair."

Duo complied, bending himself in half, his hair brushing the carpet as Heero wrapped the towel around it and dried. Afterwards he wrapped the towel around the boy himself and tugged him into the bedroom to dress and brush out his hair.

"You'll need to wear your training outfit today. And put these on." Heero flung a pair of the mynioka's underwear at him while he dug through the mynioka's clothing, as well as his own.

"'Ro, ah, these are not comfy," Duo whined, pulling at them while his partner snorted, amused. The boy's tail was stuck, pressed up against his lower back as he tugged at them.

"That's because you put them on backwards. Your tail goes through the hole." Heero smiled as his partner huffed about unspecific instructions and oddly-shaped clothing. After a few minutes of Heero's amused tugging and Duo's confused hopping, the two finally sat down for a quick lunch of cold sandwiches and mynioka protein juice.

"You don't always drink coffee." Duo wrinkled his nose, reading the can's contents.

"I do, always, before work," Heero replied, pouring the dark liquid into his plastic, traveling mug. "Especially when I know I'll have to be sorting through misplaced files. It can get rather dull, and I don't want to be the one caught napping because I didn't have any caffeine beforehand."

"So you'll always have this? Every day?" Duo asked, holding up the blue coffee tin. Heero nodded absentmindedly as he stirred in exactly a teaspoon of cream.

"Is the last drop always good?" he asked, looking at the can's logo with interest. His partner shrugged and helped him into his coat.

The drive for Heero was a normal one, but Duo had to point out every interesting or brightly-colored thing they encountered along the way. His face was nearly plastered to the window when he discovered the odd lines marking the road. Heero silently hoped that Preventers training would be thorough in teaching the boy how to drive.

Tugging at Duo's hand, he pulled the boy away from the parking lot and to the main building.

"You have your name on your car's spot?" Duo asked in awe as they passed the unmarked company vehicles.

"Yes," Heero replied, punching in his personal code at the outer fence. "I'm an agent, we all do."

Duo watched the gates open before them with wide eyes before his partner tugged him forward impatiently.

When they reached the training room, Heero stared at the mynioka and his partner who was leaning against the classroom door, relaxed.

"Quatre, Trowa," he greeted them. "What are you doing here?"

"We're going to be training the new Preventers," the blonde smiled, his tail twitching behind him with excitement.

"Gibbs was transferred upstairs." Trowa calmly replied, still leaning against the door.

"They wanted an actual team to teach the new myniokas, as humans tend to understand things differently," Quatre added, smiling at Duo, who was now beginning to realize he would have to be away from his partner and was clasping the human's hand, as well as his pantleg.

"We will need a last name for Duo," the taller Preventer said. "For the paperwork. It is highly advised for him to have a surname different than his partner's, as they are not technically related."

"Maxwell," Duo suddenly spoke from where he was stuck to his partner's leg. The boy quickly buried his face in the material afterwards, not wanting him to leave.

"The class will start in a few minutes," Trowa informed them, standing up and slipping into the classroom.

"We'll see you soon, Duo." Quatre smiled at the shivering boy before ducking into the room and closing the door. Duo whimpered, clinging tighter. He didn't like being away from his partner—the last time was in that motel-hotel place, when he had thought Heero was leaving him for good.

"What's wrong, Duo?" the human asked, picking up the shaken boy.

"You're leaving me." The mynioka clung to his shirt, burying his face in it while his partner rubbed his back.

"Just for a few hours."

Duo whimpered.

"Duo." Heero pulled the boy's face up. "Duo, look at me." The mynioka's teary eyes dragged from the floor up to his face.

"I'll be just upstairs, and I'm sure that Quatre and Trowa will take good care of you. Even Wufei will be in there. All right?" Heero smoothed Duo's hair away from his face. The boy reluctantly nodded.

"If you really need me, just tell Quatre, and he'll come and get me, okay? Otherwise, I'll be here to pick you up at five." Heero tried to smile at his miserable-looking partner. Duo slipped his arms around the human and hugged him tightly.

"Okay," he said, his voice muffled against the fabric.

"Good." Heero pulled him away and opened the door, watching Duo wipe at his face with a determined look. "Now get in there before they think you gave up and went home." The human swatted the boy's tail as he retreated with a parting glance into the classroom.

Zechs was waiting and already looking through files by the time he got up to the office.

"Damage report," the dark-headed Preventer grunted as he sat down at his desk, eyeing the piles of paperwork that had been stacked there during his absence.

"It's not as bad as we thought," Zechs said without lifting his eyes from the folder's contents. "Looks like Joel took some time off and spent more time running errands for Une."

"How helpful," Heero snorted, pulling his completed files out of his briefcase. "Looks like he knows that he messed up."

"Yeah. Hopefully that'll be enough of a warning for him to keep his nose out of our files," Zechs groused, rearranging papers within the folder.

Needless to say, the next few hours went rather slowly as the two filtered and rearranged paperwork.

Waiting in the lower hallway with Zechs, Heero was surprised when his partner suddenly bounded out of the classroom laughing loudly while being chased by a red-faced Wufei. Duo spotted his partner and was gleefully lifted up, safe in the human's arms. The kalocti was likewise picked up and stuck his forked tongue out at his offending friend as the two pairs parted. Other Preventers were filling the hall, ready to pick up their own partners.

"You shouldn't make Wufei mad, Duo," the human chastised lightly, pulling the clinging boy away from his neck and setting him back on his own feet. "You two will have to get along in the future."

"I know." Duo's tail swung merrily behind him as he clasped his partner's hand. "He's just so fun to annoy. Wanna know what we did today?"

"Sure." Heero watched the mynioka jump animatedly as they stopped at the outer gate, ready to enter the parking lot.

"First we read some books—they were about the early wars. Then we got on the computers and read some more stuff with better pictures—it was about the later wars. Then Quatre showed us how to use swords. Well, he called it fencing with foils, but they were close enough to the old rapiers that European countries used to use." The boy bounced into the car as soon as his partner unlocked it.

"Wufei's better than me at sword fighting, but I had better aim with the axes and scythes." Duo absolutely cackled.

"So you started out with history and simple weapon training today?" Heero asked, pulling out of the parking lot.

"Yup. Trowa says we'll get to learn guns when we grow up a bit more. And Quatre said it would be soon." Duo grinned, fingerprinting at the window when he spotted a motorcycle.

When they got home, the boy declared he was starving and decided he was going to help his partner make dinner, now that he was tall enough to see over the countertops. Heero set him to cutting vegetables to be steamed while he made pasta with chicken. The mynioka reluctantly drank his protein juice, making faces the entire time.

Afterwards, Duo challenged him to a game of chess, which lasted most of the evening. Heero managed to win, but it was a struggle throughout the game, as Duo seemed to be adept in making moves that were unconventional, such as taking one of Heero's knights with a forgotten rook.

Duo's ears were set forward, twitching along with his eyes for any escape. His tail was tensed behind him as he tried in vain to formulate a plan.

"No fair!" he pouted, glaring at his smirking partner.

"Too bad. Checkmate." Heero flicked the dark king off the board and into the mynioka's lap. "You're the one who wanted to play this." The boy began to clean up the game moodily while his partner stretched.

"Why don't you take your bath tonight so we won't have to worry about it in the morning?" Heero asked, standing by the boy's chair. Duo perked up.

"With bubbles?" he asked, turning to get to his knees in the chair and grab the human's shirt.

"Sure." Heero lifted him, feeling Duo's face find its favorite spot against his neck. "You're getting a bit big for me to carry you." He complained, walking to the bathroom. Duo just giggled and held on tighter. After setting the boy down, he started the bathwater.

"Why don't you go get some sleeping clothes?" he told Duo and watched the boy dash out the door. He came back a moment later, then piled his clothes on the rug and began to undress.

"How come you never take a bath?" Duo asked, climbing into the soapy, warm water.

"Because showers are faster," his partner replied while adjusting the water temperature.

"Come on," Duo tugged at his wrist. "Take a bath with me. I wanna wash your hair." The boy grinned.

"It's not big enough for both of us." Heero frowned; he'd never liked bathing in front of other people…but it was just Duo.

"We'll fit. Please?" The mynioka drug out his last word, blinking at him piteously.

"Fine," Heero sighed. Duo gleefully splashed with excitement, making room.

"Why are you so eager to wash my hair?" Heero asked, undressing.

"'Cause you always do stuff for me." Duo grinned at him. "But when I get bigger I'm gonna wash and cook every day, just like you."

"That sounds thrilling," Heero deadpanned, pulling a towel off the rack for himself.

"Come on, get in already!" Duo giggled, reaching for the plastic washing cup. Heero complied and was immediately doused with bathwater.

"Duo!" he sputtered. "You're supposed to tell me before dumping water over my head." Heero glared at the grinning boy, closing the shower curtain around them so as to not get water all over the floor.

"But that wouldn't be any fun," the cheerful mynioka groused.

"Of course it wouldn't." And with that, he splashed the boy, bubbles flying everywhere. An all-out water war commenced and only ended once Duo got water up his nose and started sneezing.

"Are you critically wounded?" Heero asked, smirking.

"Very funny," the boy sniffed, glaring at his partner and the mound of soapy fluff stuck to his short hair.

"Turn around and let me wash your hair before the water gets cold," Heero instructed, reaching up to grab the shampoo. Already slick with soapy water, Duo's hair didn't take long to wash.

"My turn!" The boy cackled, standing on his toes to get Heero's shampoo. "My turn! Turn around! My turn!"

"All right already," Heero grumbled, awkwardly bending his legs and trying to turn towards the back of the bath.

Duo had to stand to be able to look down on his partner's head to be able to wash it but had much fun doing so. Heero caught him giving it a second washing, but Duo was indignant when he had thought that "it was just for fun."

"Your hair needs washed twice, since I haven't washed it before." The boy cackled, dumping more water on his partner's head.

"Okay, sit down. That's enough." Heero soaped Duo's washing cloth for him. "Here, wash up."

"Will you wash my back?" the mynioka asked, blinking at him.

"Sure," his partner replied, soaping his own washing cloth.

After a few moments of Duo naming each of his limbs and toes as he washed them, Heero declared him clean and told him to turn around so he could wash behind him.

"How come Wufei doesn't like baths?" the boy asked as he stepped out of the bath, behind his partner.

"I don't know," Heero replied, brushing Duo's hair then toweling off. "Maybe it would bother his fire…breathing…system if he inhaled water."

"I don't know anyone that it wouldn't bother their system to inhale water." Duo wrinkled his nose distastefully.

"Come here," Heero instructed him, tying his towel off at his hips and reaching for the hair-cutting scissors in the medicine cabinet. Duo complied until he saw what he was holding.

"No!" The mynioka shot out of the bathroom with his partner in close pursuit.

Heero chased him around the house and finally caught him in the kitchen. He lifted the wriggling boy over his shoulder and headed back to the bathroom. Duo tried everything to get away, but finally succumbed to tears once his partner smacked him once, on his bare behind.

"It's not that bad, Duo. Just behave and it'll be over in a minute." He sat the boy on the floor, keeping a hold on him as he grabbed the scissors from the sink. Duo's teary eyes wouldn't look at him as he snipped away hair in front of the boy's face and trimmed around the back.

"There." Heero set the scissors back in the cabinet and crouched, flicking a snip of wet hair off of the boy's cheek. "That wasn't bad, was it?"

"You're done?" Duo sniffed, running his fingers through his still-long hair.

"Yes. That didn't hurt, did it?" Heero asked, wiping the boy's tears away with his forgotten towel. Duo shook his head.

"I thought you were gonna cut it all off," he said, blinking up at his partner.

"No. Why would I do that? I know you like your hair."

"I dunno." Duo crawled over to his partner and climbed into his lap, feeling chilled.

"Let's get dressed. It's not very warm when you run around without clothes." Heero picked him up and headed to the bedroom. Duo's response was muffled against the human's skin.

Heero pried the boy off of him long enough to braid his hair and dress him in some stretchy pajamas, noting that there was only another pair left. He would soon have to buy Duo normal clothes, when he was fully grown.

Once they were both dressed, Heero had them both brush their teeth and carry out their nightly routine before curling up in bed.

"You think I'm gonna be big tomorrow?" Duo asked from his favorite place against his partner's neck.

"Maybe," Heero replied, sleepily blinking at the city's glow against the lightly-colored paper window blinds. "We'll have to see."

TBC


End file.
